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Arlington, Texas
|blank1_name = GNIS feature ID |blank1_info = 1372320 |footnotes = }} Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area and Tarrant County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's estimate, the city had a population of almost 374,000 at the end of 2011, making it the third largest municipality in the metropolitan area. Arlington is the fiftieth most populous city in the United States and the seventh most populous city in the state of Texas; it is also the largest city in the state that is not a county seat. Located approximately east of downtown Fort Worth and west of downtown Dallas, Arlington is home to the University of Texas at Arlington, a doctoral-granting institution, and a General Motors assembly plant. Additionally Arlington hosts the Texas Rangers' Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, AT&T Stadium, the International Bowling Campus (which houses the United States Bowling Congress, International Bowling Museum and the International Bowling Hall of Fame), the headquarters for American Mensa, and the theme parks Six Flags Over Texas (the original Six Flags) and Hurricane Harbor. Arlington is the headquarters of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region IV. Arlington borders Kennedale, Grand Prairie, Mansfield and Fort Worth, and surrounds the smaller communities of Dalworthington Gardens and Pantego. History European settlement in the Arlington area dates back at least to the 1840s. After the May 24, 1841 battle between Texas General Edward H. Tarrant (Tarrant County is named after him) and Native Americans of the Village Creek settlement, a trading post was established at Marrow Bone Spring in present-day Arlington (historical marker at ). The rich soil of the area attracted farmers, and several agriculture-related businesses were well established by the late nineteenth century. Arlington was founded in 1876 along the Texas and Pacific Railway. The city was named after General Robert E. Lee's Arlington House in Arlington County, Virginia. Arlington grew as a cotton-ginning and farming center, and incorporated in 1884. The city could boast of water, electricity, natural gas, and telephone services by 1910, along with a public school system. By 1925 the population was estimated at 3,031, and it grew to over 4,000 before World War II. Large-scale industrialization began in 1954 with the arrival of a General Motors assembly plant. Automotive and aerospace development gave the city one of the nation's greatest population growth rates between 1950 and 1990. Arlington became one of the "boomburbs," the extremely fast-growing suburbs of the post-World War II era. U.S. Census Bureau population figures for the city tell the story: 7,692 (1950), 90,229 (1970), 261,721 (1990), 365,438 (2010) and almost 374,000 by 2011. Tom Vandergriff served as mayor from 1951 to 1977 during this period of explosive development. Six Flags Over Texas opened in Arlington in 1961. In 1972 the Washington Senators baseball team relocated to Arlington and began play as the Texas Rangers and in 2009 the Dallas Cowboys also began to play at newly constructed Cowboys Stadium, now AT&T Stadium. Cathy Brown of The Dallas Morning News said in 1998 that "In addition, since Arlington's shirt collar is getting bluer, the flavor of the entire city is changing. The North Central Texas area now has Colleyville, Southlake, Grapevine to be what Arlington used to be. The decisions which produced the fade to blue were made too long ago for any of us today to alter."Brown, Cathy (editorial columnist). "No blackboard jungles despite changing demographics." The Dallas Morning News. Wednesday October 14, 1998. Opinions Arlington 7A. Retrieved on October 25, 2011. Arlington is the largest city in the world without a fixed bus-route, light-rail or commuter train system of mass transit.http://www.canadatop.com/article/Texas Geography Arlington is located at (32.705033, -97.122839) . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of : of it was land, and of it (3.24%) is water. Johnson Creek, a tributary of the Trinity River, and the Trinity River itself, flow through Arlington. Climate Arlington falls in the CFa (Humid, Subtropical) region of the Köppen climate classification system which is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters. *The highest recorded temperature was in 1980. *The lowest recorded temperature was in 1899. *The maximum average precipitation occurs in May. |date=March 2012}} Demographics As of the census of 2010, there were 365,438 people, 133,072 households, and 90,099 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,811 people per square mile (1,472/km²). There were 144,805 housing units at an average density of 1,510 per square mile (5,833/km²). The 2011 estimated racial makeup of the city (based on the 2010 census) was 65% White, 18% Black or African American, 1% Native American, 6.8% Asian, less than 1% Pacific Islander, 5% from other races, and 2% from two or more races. Hispanic (U.S. Census)Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27% of the population. There were 133,072 households out of which 40% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 48% were married couples living together, 15% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32% were non-families. 25% of all households were made up of individuals and 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.7 and the average family size was 3.3. In the city the 2010 population was spread out with 31% under the age of 20, 8% from 20 to 24, 30% from 25 to 44, 23% from 45 to 64, and 8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 104 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94 males 18 and over. The median income for a household in the city was estimated to be $50,655 in 2011. Individual males working full-time year-round had a median income of $41,059 versus $35,265 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,317. About 16% of Arlington families in general and 31% of female-headed families with no husband present were living below the poverty line. 20% of the Arlington population as a whole, including 28% of individuals under age 18 and 8% of those age 65 or over were living in poverty. 43% of Arlington renters and 28% of homeowners were paying 35% or more of their household income for housing costs in 2011. Arlington is the fiftieth largest city in the United States by population. Government Local The Arlington City Council has been presided over by Mayor Robert Cluck since 2003, following the six-year reign of Mayor Elzie Odom. The Arlington City Council is composed of a Mayor Robert Cluck and eight City Council members. Elections are conducted every spring in May. State Representative Leo Berman of Tyler formerly resided in Arlington and served on the city council, including a stint as mayor pro tempore from 1979 to 1985. According to Arlington's most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city’s various funds had $572.8 million in Revenues, $425.8 million in expenditures, $2.213 million in total assets, $835 million in total liabilities, and $297.7 million in cash in investments.City of Arlington 2007–2008 CAFR Retrieved 2009-06-07 Fire protection is provided by the Arlington Fire Department, and emergency medical services are provided by American Medical Response, which also provides medical support to Cowboys Stadium. The structure of the management and coordination of city services is: City of Arlington Website retrieved 2012-11-18 Federal representation The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintains the Arlington Ecological Services Field Office (ARLES) on Northeast Green Oaks Boulevard in far northeastern Arlington; while it is one of the oldest Ecological Services Field Stations in the United States, today its activities are focused primarily on the illegal trafficking in exotic species through Dallas/Fort-Worth International Airport. The office is not staffed or funded for nor active on the protection and enhancement of local urban-area endangered species habitat, nor on the enforcement of the related provisions of the Endangered Species Act. ; personal conversations The United States Postal Service (USPS) operates the Arlington Main Post Office."Post Office Location - ARLINGTON MAIN OFC DELIVERY." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 15, 2010."Arlington Municipal Building." City of Arlington. Retrieved on May 15, 2010. "Arlington's main Post Office is located at 300 E. South St. in Arlington." Other post offices operated by the USPS include Bardin Road,Post Office Location - BARDIN ROAD. United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 15, 2010. East Arlington,Post Office Location - EAST ARLINGTON. United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 15, 2010. Great Southwest,Post Office Location - OAKWOOD. United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 15, 2010. Oakwood,Post Office Location - OAKWOOD. United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 15, 2010. Pantego,Post Office Location - PANTEGO. United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 15, 2010. and Watson Community.Post Office Location - WATSON COMMUNITY. United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 15, 2010. The National Transportation Safety Board operates the Arlington Aviation field office in Arlington."Regional Offices: Aviation." National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved on May 15, 2010. Education Colleges and universities Arlington is home to The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), the Southeast Campus of Tarrant County College, and Arlington Baptist College. The University of Phoenix and Texas Tech University also have a presence in Arlington near Interstate 20. The University of Texas at Arlington is the second largest institution of the University of Texas System. The university has a current enrollment of 33,806 students as of Spring 2013,UT Arlington Spring 2013 enrollment hits all-time high with more than 33,800 students Retrieved February 4, 2013. and is a valuable asset to the city of Arlington and its economy. Buildings within the academic core of the UT Arlington campus are among the oldest structures in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, including Preston Hall, Ransom Hall, College Hall, Brazos House, and the original Arlington High School. Primary and secondary schools Arlington's residents live in the following four independent school districts (or ISDs), listed in descending order with respect to number of population served: Arlington ISD, Mansfield ISD, Grand Prairie ISD and Kennedale ISD. Parts of Arlington located in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD's jurisdiction currently have no residents, but this is being developed into as many as 4,000 homes. In Texas, school district boundaries do not always follow city and county boundaries because all aspects of school district government apparatus, including district boundaries, are separated from city and county governments. Not all city of Arlington residents are in the AISD, and not all AISD students are residents of Arlington. Summit International Preparatory, a K-12 charter school of Uplift Education, is in Arlington."Summit International Preparatory." Uplift Education. Retrieved on September 6, 2011. "1305 North Center Street Arlington, Texas 76011" Arlington Classics Academy is a K-7 charter school in Arlington with two campuses. Sports and entertainment ]] at Dusk]] Professional sports Arlington has long been the home of the Texas Rangers baseball team, who made Arlington Stadium their first home upon moving to Dallas/Fort Worth from Washington, D.C., in 1972. In 1994, the Rangers built a new stadium, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The Rangers' made two trips to the World Series, 2010 and 2011 World Series, the first of which they lost to the San Francisco Giants in 5 games, and the second of which they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in 7 games. The Dallas Cowboys football team moved from Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas to the new City of Arlington owned Cowboys Stadium (renamed "AT&T Stadium" in July, 2013) which is within walking distance of the Rangers Ballpark. Completed in 2009, it has attracted high-profile sporting events to Arlington, including the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, the Super Bowl XLV in 2011 and 2013 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball South Regional Championships in 2013, and the 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Final Four. The Dallas Cowboys rents AT&T Stadium from the City of Arlington for 167,500$ per month. Visitors Information Center The Experience Arlington Visitors Information Center is located next to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and adjacent to AT&T Stadium. Visitors can pick up discounts, Arlington Visitors Guide, maps and more. Local sports As in the rest of Texas, Friday night high school football is a widespread obsession with fans of all ages. Arlington High School owns the city's only state football championship, having won it in 1951 under head coach Mayfield Workman. Lamar High School nearly pulled off the same feat in 1990, but had to settle for a state runner-up title. In recent years, Bowie High School, Martin High School and Mansfield Summit High School (a Mansfield ISD school located within Arlington) have enjoyed some success. The University of Texas at Arlington used to field a football team, but the program was canceled in 1985 due to funding issues and waning attendance. The football vacancy at the campus stadium, Maverick Stadium, was quickly filled by Arlington High and subsequently Bowie High School. Cravens Field, on the campus of Lamar but funded by Martin High School, and Wilemon Field, on the campus of Sam Houston, are home to the other four teams in the city. Both have enjoyed a history of close and dramatic games. High school teams in various other sports have state championships to their credit, including: *Arlington, volleyball (1970, 1976, 1982) *Bowie, girls' basketball (2005) *Martin, baseball (1993) *Martin, boys' wrestling (2004) *Martin, girls' soccer (1992, 1998) *Martin, volleyball (1996, 2005) *Mansfield, girls basketball(1999–2002) (campus located in Arlington city limits at the time of the state championships) *Mansfield Summit, girl's basketball (2009) (campus located in Arlington City limits) *Mansfield TImberview, girl's track & field (2009) (campus located in Arlington City limits) *Mansfield TImberview, girl's basketball (2010) (campus located in Arlington City limits) Several individual state titles have also been won by Arlington students including the following: *Arlington, boys' wrestling, 112 weight class (2007) *Arlington, girls' wrestling, 215 weight class (2007) *Arlington, boys' wrestling, 152 weight class & all around state champion (2005) *Bowie, boys' wrestling, 152 weight class (2007) *Bowie, boys' wrestling, 145 weight class (2006) *Lamar, boys' wrestling, 152 weight class (2003) *Lamar, boys' wrestling, 152 weight class (2004) *Martin, boys' wrestling, 130 weight class (2006) *Martin, boys' wrestling, 112 weight class (2004) *Martin, boys' wrestling, 135 weight class (2004) *Martin, boys' wrestling, 275 weight class (2004) *Mansfield girls track, high jump 6'1" jump (2000) (Brie Madden lived in Arlington but attended Mansfield at the time, also located in Arlington city limits) Arlington is the home of several notable athletes. 1998 American League Rookie of the Year Ben Grieve graduated from Martin High School in 1994. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder Vernon Wells grew up in Arlington and attended Bowie High School, San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence attended Arlington High School and played collegiate baseball at University of Texas at Arlington, and Boston Red Sox pitcher John Lackey also played for UTA. Lamar High School alumnus Jeremy Wariner won two gold medals in the 2004 Athens Olympics, and the 2005 world championship in the 400 meters in Rome. UTA also produced Doug Russell, who won two gold medals in swimming at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968 and for whom a park on campus is named and Rick Stone, All-Southland Conference track athlete at UTA who later became a United States Department of Justice "Law Enforcement Officer of the Year" and the most highly decorated officer in Dallas Police Department history with multiple awards including the Medal of Valor."Decorated former Dallas officer wants chief chance". Dallas Morning News. September 15, 2003) . Champion bodybuilder (Mr. Olympia 1998–2005) and former Arlington police officer, Ronnie Coleman resides in Arlington. Houston Comets Guard Erin Grant grew up in Arlington and attended Mansfield high school where she became the first high school basketball player to win four state championships. She currently holds the Big 12 assist record. NFL wide receiver Mark Clayton, now with the St. Louis Rams, graduated from Sam Houston High School in 2000 and was part of the University of Oklahoma's 2001 national championship team. Jared Connaughton, sprinter for the 2008 Canada olympic team, was a sprinter for the UT Arlington team. Entertainment ]] ]] Arlington is home to Six Flags Over Texas, a nation-wide theme park that includes many notable attractions. Six Flags also opened Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, a waterpark, after the previous location, Wet 'n Wild, was sold to them in the mid 90's. With the relocation of the U.S. Bowling Congress, and the Bowling Proprietors Association of America and the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame, Arlington became the world headquarters for bowling. The brothers Vinnie Paul Abbott and Darrell Abbott are the two most notable musicians from Arlington who formed the metal group Pantera. Ever since Darrell died on December 8, 2004 friends, family, and the community participate in the Ride For Dime event every year on August 20, Darrell's birthday. This attraction includes music, a ride by his cemetery, and booze. For retail shopping, Arlington is home to The Parks Mall at Arlington, which houses numerous retail outlets and a movie theatre. In addition, The Arlington Highlands was completed in mid-2007, serving as an entertainment hotspot with places such as Studio Movie Grill, Piranha Killer Sushi, BJ's Brewhouse, The Improv Theatre, Bar Louies, Plucker's, World Market, Chuy's Tex-Mex and Dave and Busters, among others. The Arlington Highlands is located on I-20 at Matlock Rd. Arlington is also home to Theatre Arlington, one of the largest community theatres in the nation which produces quality live theatre year round and offers theater classes for all ages. Levitt Pavilion opened in 2009 and offers 50 free concerts per year in downtown Arlington. On July 4, the Arlington 4th Of July Parade Association puts on the annual parade through Downtown, Arlington featuring floats and entries from local school, businesses, and organizations. The parade is broadcast on local stations as well as on via AISD TV. Transportation On July 2, 1902 the first InterUrban electric trolley came to Arlington and ran until Christmas Eve, 1934. The Dallas-Ft. Worth Inter Urban ran between Dallas and Ft. Worth providing easy transportation for business and pleasure. The track ran along what is now Abram Street. in Arlington was dedicated as Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway (signs are visible at mile markers 447 and 452).]] Arlington Municipal Airport (GKY) is located entirely within Arlington and is a public use airport owned by the City of Arlington. It serves as a reliever airport for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field (though it lacks scheduled airline service) and is currently used for general aviation purposes. Several companies operate aircraft services on the airport property, including the Bell Helicopter division of Textron. With the launch of the new MAX route, Arlington has recently given up the title the largest city in the United States not served by a comprehensive public transportation system. Voters have eschewed funding a fixed-route bus transit system three times, though they finally passed it in 2013. Arlington does have four transit services targeting individual demographic groups: "Handitran" serves senior citizens and the disabled; Arlington hotels pay for a tourist-oriented shuttle-bus system for their guests; the University of Texas at Arlington runs a limited shuttle service for college students; and lastly Mission Arlington, an Arlington-run charity serving the severely indigent, has a bus service that circulates people needing social services or transportation to employment. On August 19, 2013, the Metro Arlington Express (MAX) bus route began. MAX provides weekday service between College Park Center (near University of Texas, Arlington) and the Trinity Railway Express CentrePort Station (near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport). The city is served by two Interstate Highways, I-20, also known as Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway, and I-30, also named Tom Landry Memorial Highway. Other limited-access freeways include State Highway 360, which is named for the founder of Six Flags Over Texas, Angus G. Wynne, running along the eastern border, and U.S. Highway 287, which traverses the southwestern portion of the city. In most cases, the memorial names are not used in reference to these roadways. The Union Pacific Railroad now owns and operates the original Texas and Pacific (later Missouri Pacific) transcontinental rail route though Arlington; it offers no passenger stops in Arlington, its Arlington freight service is primarily to the local General Motors assembly plant, and most of its lengthy and numerous freight trains are merely passing through town to and from points far away. Sister cities Arlington and Bad Königshofen, Germany have been sister cities since 1952. Arlington operates the Bad Königshofen outdoor family aquatic center, named after its sister city. In return, Bad Königshofen has a recreational park named after Arlington. The relationship between the two cities dates to 1951, when the German town manager, Kurt Zuhlke, visited Arlington as part of a study tour in the U.S. Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau Experience Arlington, formerly known as the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau, is the official tourism identity for the city of Arlington, Texas. Experience Arlington is tasked with pursuing conventions, meetings, tour groups, reunions and individual leisure travelers to increase city revenues from sale and lodging taxes. EA also supports local stakeholders that pursue high-profile special events and sporting events to fill hotels, Arlington Convention Center, Cowboys Stadium, College Park Center, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, and other venues around the city. EA offers complimentary services and lodging discounts to large groups and individual travelers. See also References External links *City's Homepage * Arlington Chamber of Commerce *Arlington's Visitor Website * Arlington Public Library * Arlington's 4th Of July Parade Association * Discover Arlington, TX * Arlington Neighborhood Map Art Print * Category:Arlington, Texas Category:Cities in Texas Category:Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Category:Cities in Tarrant County, Texas Category:Settlements established in 1876